Movie theater junk food: Is it a menace to society? – latimes.com

This editorial has some good points — the food at the theater sucks. Water is probably the only healthy thing you can buy but the cost of it at the theater is crazy!

If you’re a parent concerned about your kids eating healthful food, where is the last place you’d want them to go? The answer is simple: a movie theater. When I give my 14-year-old son some cash so he can have something to eat at the movies, I know that whatever he gets at the concession stand is going to be the most unhealthful thing he eats all month.

I had grown so accustomed to the outlandishly calorific food and drink in movie theaters that I hardly gave the issue a thought until a few recent developments — starting with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plans to restrict the sale of super-sized sugary drinks in a variety of locales, including movie theaters.

Then the Walt Disney Co. announced that it plans to restrict junk food commercials during its TV programs aimed at children. And the city council in Richmond, Calif., recently voted to place a measure on the November ballot that would impose a penny-per-ounce tax on all high-sugar drinks, with the proceeds going to school gardens and programs to fight childhood obesity.

I’m not sure I would’ve connected all these dots if I hadn’t found myself searching for a lively topic for a speech I’m giving this week to a branch of the National Assn. of Theater Owners (NATO). Let me be clear: I love movie theaters. The bond is an emotional one. My grandfather owned a chain of theaters in Miami. When I was a kid, I spent hundreds of hours working lowly jobs at the theaters, which no doubt helped inspire my love for movies.

Words to Inspire

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it.”by Ralph Marston